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There are fresh protests taking place today at Columbia University and at other schools around the country on the first anniversary of Hamas’ 10/7 attack on Israel. Columbia’s interim president sent an email yesterday announcing new security measures and warning about the potential for outside groups to spark violence.
In an email to students and staff at Columbia on Sunday, interim President Katrina Armstrong said the university’s administrators have “anticipated and have been preparing for a period of uncertainty in the coming days.”
She said some groups have worked with university officials and school security to plan nonviolent protests and commemorations. Some Jewish groups had erected on the school’s lawn what appeared to be large milk cartons with photos of hostages taken by Hamas.
“We have also learned and had evidence of plans of groups not affiliated with Columbia choosing to come to our Morningside campus for activities that raise concern about the potential for violence,” she said.
The student protesters will be marching off campus and joining up with members of Within Our Lifetime, a group that has made a habit of vandalism in the city. Also, the instructions given to protesters seems to suggest they will be looking to get away with violating school rules or worse.
Apartheid Divest leaders cautioned supporters on social media to remain masked, cover any identifying tattoos or piercings, avoid swiping their ID cards too close to the rally time, and take other measures to avoid detection. “Stay safe! Be Brave!” the group said on Instagram. “The fight for liberation will always be risky. We must take the risk.”
Here’s some video of what has happened so far. First, as mentioned above, Jewish groups set up these milk cartons with the faces of hostages.
NOW: An « encampment » art instalation is set up by Pro-Israel groups as Pro-Palestine students are expected to do a walk out to mark October 7th.
Current instalation of hostages and those killed is set up on Columbia University grounds, where a pro-Palestine Encampment was… pic.twitter.com/H1KguXC6mr— Oliya Scootercaster ???? (@ScooterCasterNY) October 7, 2024
Here’s the pro-Hamas student group.
